Share this with

Max Landis has hit back at critics over the casting of Scarlett Johansson for an Asian role in his film, Ghost In The Shell, in a rather unfortunate way.

The director took to YouTube to explain that the filmmakers cast the white actress in the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi because there are no ‘marketable’ Asian actresses who could take the lead in the movie based on the celebrated Japanese manga series.

In a video called ‘If You’re Mad About Ghost In The Shell You Don’t Know How The Movie Industry Works’ he blamed society for whitewashing in Hollywood.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

‘[Whitewashing] is not the fault of the movie industry, really,’ he said. ‘That’s culture and movies getting more afraid because movies make less and less money.’

He also said that when it comes to A-list Asian stars ‘we don’t really have one at the moment.’

Rinko Kikuchi took the lead in blockbuster Pacific Rim and has been suggested as an alternative for Johansson (Picture: Warner Bors.)

Bae Doona (Cloud Atlas), Jamie Chung (Once Upon A Time), Elodie Yung (Daredevil), Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad) and Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim) are just a few Asian actresses that many have suggested are welcome alternatives to Scarlett’s casting.

He says studio executives ‘don’t have the balls to take the risk’ of casting a lesser known Asian actress.

You got that right, Freddie.

This latest bit of Hollywood whitewashing follows in the footsteps of Emma Stone’s casting as part-Asian/part-Hawaiian woman Alison Ng in Aloha, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily in Pan and the white cast of actors and and actresses playing Egyptians in Gods Of Egypt.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Ming-Na took to Twitter to voice her unhappiness with the casting choice when the first photo of Scarlett as the lead – now just called Major – was released.

Nothing against Scarlett Johansson. In fact, I'm a big fan. But everything against this Whitewashing of Asian role.😒 https://t.co/VS6r6iish9